[Q&A] Simon Washbourne (Triumphant!)

[09-Oct-21 03:06 PM] SimonW#5375
I’m Simon Washbourne (of Beyond Belief Games). You might know me from Barbarians of Lemuria but we’re here to discuss Triumphant! revised edition tonight. It’s a superhero rpg, the one I wrote after selling Supers! to Hazard Studios. Done

https://triumphantrpg.wixsite.com/website

[09-Oct-21 03:07 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
Thanks, @SimonW! The floor is open to questions!

[09-Oct-21 03:07 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
Does Triumphant have its own setting?

[09-Oct-21 03:10 PM] SimonW#5375
In the original edition there was a “mini” setting – Sovereign City on Lake Michigan. However, this has been taken out of the revised core book and I’m working on Sovereign City Setting Guide right now. It has moved to Lake Superior, but is otherwise similar – with lots more history and details and has lots of plot hooks , villains and so forth throughout. Done

[09-Oct-21 03:11 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
Does the game set out to mimic any partiuclar age of comics?

[09-Oct-21 03:12 PM] SimonW#5375
Sovereign City is set in 198-(something). Although the rules really allow most ages. Done

[09-Oct-21 03:14 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
So late Silver Age, maybe?

[09-Oct-21 03:15 PM] SimonW#5375
Or just into Bronze…

[09-Oct-21 03:17 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
I see. Cool. What elements of the setting contribute to that feel?

[09-Oct-21 03:24 PM] SimonW#5375
Well, the reason I went for 1980’s is because there is a lot of science now that seems “super” – like jet packs, smart phones, google, modern body armour etc. I haven’t finished writing the setting yet, but I’m aiming at the heroes coming into the (then) new world of the “Bronze Age and adjusting to a slightly darker feel. The Silver Age was clearly defined good vs evil, Super Science!, Alternate Universes and so on. Bronze starts to get away from this a bit. Done

[09-Oct-21 03:28 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
So kinda post-Crisis, in DC terms?

[09-Oct-21 03:31 PM] SimonW#5375
Kinda…. It’s really the 70’s and 80’s where I read comics the most, so that’s where I feel most comfortable. Haven’t read too many since about 2000 tbh – obviously I’ve watched most of the movies though. Done

[09-Oct-21 03:32 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
(brb — need to help the wife real quick)

[09-Oct-21 03:34 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
(back, sorry)

[09-Oct-21 03:35 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
How would you describe the power level of the game? Does it tend to “break” at any particular level, or can it handle everything from street level to cosmic?

[09-Oct-21 03:46 PM] SimonW#5375
It is aimed at the whole range and we’ve playtested it extensively over the eight years or so its been since the original edition came out (and before that of course). We’ve played mainly at street level and “local guardians” levels, but with forays into the higher “cosmic” levels – with long campaigns running all that time and never really broken it (and where we did, we put fixes in – which is, after all, the point of playtesting). We’ve done crossovers with characters from other levels mixing with one another and also run a campaign where all characters were wizards of some description or other. I think it deals with these issues at least as well as any other supers rpg I’ve played and, in many cases, more simply. But then, I am biased. I wrote it for me and my group, primarily, and I thought I can’t be the only one who wants a straightforward system for their supers games – so the fact that others like it is a bonus. Still, it is built on the basic ideas of my previous game Supers! (although I believe this is better). Done.

[09-Oct-21 03:48 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
Do you have a character sheet that we can see?

[09-Oct-21 03:49 PM] SimonW#5375
How about Earwig, the example character from the core book

[09-Oct-21 03:49 PM] SimonW#5375

{Attachments}
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/780948065367490590/896499627598168064/EARWIG_Sheet.pdf

[09-Oct-21 03:49 PM] SimonW#5375
Incidentally, he’s my character

[09-Oct-21 03:50 PM] SimonW#5375
or one of them

[09-Oct-21 03:50 PM] SimonW#5375
My favourite is Knuckleduster

[09-Oct-21 03:50 PM] SimonW#5375

{Attachments}
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/780948065367490590/896499937859223552/KNUCKLEDUSTER_Sheet.pdf

[09-Oct-21 03:53 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
Very nice. Can you describe task resolution?

[09-Oct-21 03:58 PM] SimonW#5375
Basically characters have a Die Type in their various abilities. D4 is pretty much average in terms of skills or Conditions (kind of saves/hit points). You simply roll your die to equal or exceed your opponent’s roll or the difficulty level if unopposed. However many you beat your opponent by (if you do) is damage done to one (or more) of the opponents Conditions (Ego, Health, Mobility). The type of attack can determine which condition is affected (webs affect mobility for e.g.)

[09-Oct-21 04:00 PM] SimonW#5375
Some attacks give you a choice of conditions. A super punch could affect Health (most likely) but could affect Mobility (winded you and slowed you down) or even Ego (pissed you off or made you look stupid).

[09-Oct-21 04:01 PM] SimonW#5375
There are other things like Syncing – where you can roll two dice say Super Strength with Fighting Skill. You still only take the best result though. Done.

[09-Oct-21 04:03 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
On a related note, it looks like there are no attributes — only skills and powers. Is that correct?

[09-Oct-21 04:03 PM] SimonW#5375
yes

[09-Oct-21 04:03 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
What determines what makes strength “super”, that being the case?

[09-Oct-21 04:08 PM] SimonW#5375
Everyone has D4 in nearly all the skills. So everyone has Athleticism (which covers strength-related stuff). Skills go from D4, to D6. If you go to D8, that has to be a speciality (say, Weightlifting). You only have Super Strength if you put a Die into it. Done

[09-Oct-21 04:09 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
So how does a D4 of Athleticism differ from a D4 of Super Strength?

[09-Oct-21 04:11 PM] SimonW#5375
The Task Resolution table has two charts – one for “Mundane” stuff and the other for “Super Stuff”. The “Mundane chart goes up to a target number of 8 to succeed – the Super chart equivalent is a 2 to succeed

[09-Oct-21 04:13 PM] SimonW#5375
That would be, for example (from the chart) to run at 30mph. That’s as far as the “mundane” chart goes. But the Super chart goes up to 256,000 mph. Done.

[09-Oct-21 04:14 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
Where does Super Strength max out?

[09-Oct-21 04:14 PM] SimonW#5375
The Burj Khalifa

[09-Oct-21 04:15 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
I’m… not sure what that means. 🙂

[09-Oct-21 04:15 PM] SimonW#5375
Its the tallest skyscraper in the world

[09-Oct-21 04:16 PM] SimonW#5375
well, it was (it might have been beaten recently!)

[09-Oct-21 04:17 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
Ah! Gotcha. What would be required to lift that?

[09-Oct-21 04:18 PM] SimonW#5375
It was featured in Mission Impossible

[09-Oct-21 04:18 PM] SimonW#5375
not sure which one!

[09-Oct-21 04:18 PM] SimonW#5375
Super Strength DD10

[09-Oct-21 04:19 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
What does DD10 mean? 2D10, take the highest? 2D10 added together?

[09-Oct-21 04:20 PM] SimonW#5375
2d10 added together (it was MI: Ghost Protocol)

[09-Oct-21 04:21 PM] SimonW#5375
so if you sync DD10, you roll 2d10 (as one Die) and then, say Skill D8 – taking the best (which is why its written as DD10 – because it represents “one” die). Done.

[09-Oct-21 04:25 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
What are the limitations on synching? Can you sync Super Agility (if that’s a thing) with Fighting, or just Super Strength, for example?

[09-Oct-21 04:28 PM] SimonW#5375
If it makes sense and the GM approves you can sync lots of skills with powers (there are examples in the book for every power – e.g. Force Field power can be used to make Constructs (if you take an Enhancement). You could then sync it with Craft skill. Done.

[09-Oct-21 04:29 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
Speaking of powers, how are they chosen? Are they built from the ground up with effects, or are the selected whole cloth with optional Enhancements?

[09-Oct-21 04:33 PM] SimonW#5375
You have a bunch of dice of different types depending on the Campaign Power Level. You assign these dice to your Conditions, Skills and Powers. The Dice you assign to a Power is the signifier of how good you are with that Power. There are optional enhancements and limitations, which either drop your Die Type by one level (say D8 down to D6 but with added Enhancements) or bump the Die Type up (D8 to D10) but with added Limitations. Done.

[09-Oct-21 04:34 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
So, for example, is there a power akin to Weather Control? Or do you have to buy the individual powers that Weather Control implies?

[09-Oct-21 04:36 PM] SimonW#5375
There is Weather Control and it comes automatically with the Enhancement: Area Effect but the Limitation: Cannot be used indoors

[09-Oct-21 04:37 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
What does that power include? Anything weather-related, or does it get more specific?

[09-Oct-21 04:39 PM] SimonW#5375
Anything weather related – this isn’t a game where the powers are minutely described and every single detail is thrashed out (like say Champions). It requires player buy-in and GM discretion. Done.

[09-Oct-21 04:40 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
Good to know. I prefer powers that way, personally.

[09-Oct-21 04:43 PM] SimonW#5375
I’m basically a lazy GM and prefer my rpg books to be on the light side. Once you get over 150 pages (preferably less) you’ve lost me. That’s why I ended up writing games – because many commercial sets don’t do what I want them to do or take too long to get through, by which time I’m bored. I love V&V back in the day, but couldn’t get on with Champions past 1st Ed

[09-Oct-21 04:43 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
How do you handle exceedingly broad powers like magic?

[09-Oct-21 04:45 PM] SimonW#5375
*MAGIC
Magic is used to simulate the other Powers and is often relied upon by certain mystical characters. It is a very wide subject and the uses of Magic vary greatly from character to character. Minor conjuring tricks or “cantrips” that don’t directly cause harm are simple and rarely require a roll of any sort. *

[09-Oct-21 04:45 PM] SimonW#5375
Replicating actual Powers requires a casting roll to perform the Magic first – with a remarkable difficulty (2+) for a D4 in the Power to be replicated, rising by one level of difficulty for each higher Die Type. So, a magician wanting to cast an Invisibility D6 spell needs to roll 4 (outstanding) or higher. Once they have cast the spell successfully, the magician can do whatever a character with the actual Power could do. The spell normally lasts to the end of the scene but at higher Campaign Power Levels can last longer, at the GMs discretion. Magicians can cast spells whilst they have a spell already running but the subsequent spells are harder; add +1 (cumulative) to the difficulty for each additional spell you are trying to hold at the same time.

Sync: Occultism

[09-Oct-21 04:46 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
That works!

[09-Oct-21 04:47 PM] SimonW#5375
It does – we played a fairly long Magicians campaign and it was a blast. Worked out fine. Wasn’t overpowered (which can be a problem with magic). Done.

[09-Oct-21 04:50 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
In the time remaining, is there anything we haven’t covered that you’d like to bring up?

[09-Oct-21 04:52 PM] SimonW#5375
Triumphant! revised is currently (until 12 October ) on sale at Drivethru . I guess that’s worth mentioning.

[09-Oct-21 04:52 PM] SimonW#5375
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/369382/Triumphant-revised-and-expanded-edition

{Embed}
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/369382/Triumphant-revised-and-expanded-edition
Triumphant! revised and expanded edition – Beyond Belief Games | Dr…
The superhero rpg space is a crowded market, so it takes some ingenious design to come up with something that works to g
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[09-Oct-21 04:53 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
Nice!

[09-Oct-21 04:55 PM] SimonW#5375
Peter Frain’s cover art (I loved it so much from 1st Ed, I decided to keep it). Jerry Grayson put the new-look cover together (with a rear page for the POD book (available from LULU)). Done.

[09-Oct-21 04:56 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
Jerry’s a cool dude.

[09-Oct-21 04:56 PM] SimonW#5375
He’s great – he gets a mention in the credits

[09-Oct-21 04:56 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
Awesome. 🙂

[09-Oct-21 04:57 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
Thanks very much for joining us, @SimonW!

[09-Oct-21 04:57 PM] SimonW#5375
My pleasure

[09-Oct-21 04:57 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
Usual reminder: If you’ve enjoyed this Q&A and would like to treat me to a coffee or two, you can do so at https://www.ko-fi.com/gmshoe. Anything’s appreciated! 🙂

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[09-Oct-21 04:57 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
Now, if you’ll give me just a couple of minutes, I’ll get the log posted and link you!

[09-Oct-21 04:57 PM] SimonW#5375
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